Jaws' largest and most iconic cast member, dubbed Bruce, was actually three different mechanical sharks—and for a couple scenes, was played by a real great white. Before filming started in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, a crew went to Australia to get some cage-diving close-ups with a great white.
The scenes involving real sharks were filmed using footage shot by underwater photographers Ron and Valerie Taylor, who captured footage of great white sharks off the coast of Australia.
Did they kill a real shark in Jaws? No. The shark in the book was 25′ but the one in the movie was a 16′ mechanical shark that malfunctioned so frequently it altered the way the movie was filmed.
Bruce was built by Bob Mattey of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' fame. All the mechanical beasts (for there were three 'Bruces') had a steel skeleton and were jammed full of air-powered pneumatics that moved various parts of their bodies and hydraulics to make the famous jaws go up and down.
Special effects makeup and rubber models brought life to the shark attacks, and the shark itself was a physical prop. Underwater interactions were constructed through the help of miniature cages, stunt people, and repurposed documentary footage of Great Whites.
JAWS (1975) - Making a Fake Shark Believable l Ft. @pleaserewind295
How many sharks did they use in Jaws?
Three mechanical sharks were made for it, but they were unreliable and the foam they were made of soaked up water and made them bloat. For that reason, the director chose not to show the shark much, which built suspense and improved the film, he says.
Although “Jaws” was a highly successful film and generated an entire sub-genre, its portrayal of sharks as dangerous man-eaters is far from reality, and it has had a lasting impact on public perception of these fascinating and important animals.
Why did the shark not work properly during the filming of Jaws?
Part of the reason why Bruce kept breaking down was because he had initially been tested in fresh water. But the ocean around Martha's Vineyard, where the movie was filmed, was salt water. That saltwater kept corroding both the inside and outside of the mechanism, causing the shark to sink.
As the ambitious (and naive) Spielberg insisted on as much realism as possible, shooting on the ocean with a full sized shark, Jaws Production Designer Joe Alves (pictured below) was tasked with getting the monster animatronic designed and built.
Oceaneering provided the animatronic shark for the redesigned ride, and it was their first theme park project. The ride officially reopened in Spring of 1993, and several stars were present, including Roy Scheider, Lorraine Gary and Steven Spielberg. On March 31, 2001, Jaws officially opened at Universal Studios Japan.
Still, the movie did prompt some fears of sharks. Much of the suspense in Jaws stems from the fact that viewers hardly ever actually see the great white shark in the film. It was an intentional choice done in part to build anticipation—but it was also the result of technical difficulties with the mechanical shark.
'Bruce', the Great White primary antagonist, was portrayed by animatronic sharks, while the red herring of the picture, 'Oscar' was the real deal. As Universal Studios busied themselves around Edgartown Harbor filming their fictional shark hunt, a group of actual Vineyard anglers embarked on a similar venture.
The victim, Anthony Salamone, was on the Jaws ride with his family when the accident happened. He had a close shave with the star of the Jaws ride, a mechanical shark. This accident happened in July 1990. In October 1996, a 28-year-old man fell from the E.T Adventure ride following an attempt to get on it.
But the part where the shark gets stuck in Hooper's cage and thrashes about? That was footage of a real-life shark captured by Australian shark experts Ron and Valerie Taylor in the ocean near Dangerous Reef in South Australia.
According to a 1968 "Life" Magazine story, Jose Marco, Burt Reynolds's stunt double, was in the water in scuba gear alongside a subdued bull shark when a great white slipped through the nets protecting the area. It charged at the camera crew before launching at Marco and disemboweling him where he swam.
When the shark attacks the man in the estuary, the man is barefoot. However, when the severed leg sinks to the bottom, there is a shoe on the foot. An editing error occurs during Hooper's examination of the first victim in the medical examiner's office.
Here are some of the things Jaws got wrong about sharks: Sharks are not vengeful: In JAWS The Revenge, the great white shark is depicted as a vengeful predator seeking revenge against the humans who have hunted and killed its kind. However, sharks do not have the cognitive capacity to hold grudges or seek revenge.
Since the release of Jaws in 1975, the world has witnessed a staggering decline of 71% in shark and ray populations, and around 100 million sharks are killed each year. This depletion puts a whopping 75% of shark species at risk of extinction.
The work of up-and-coming director Steven Spielberg, dealing with pneumatically-powered prop sharks and seasick actors, came to be seen as the first-ever summer blockbuster. Though the film takes place in the fictional town of Amity Island in New York, it was actually filmed throughout Martha's Vineyard, Mass.
Jaws' largest and most iconic cast member, dubbed Bruce, was actually three different mechanical sharks—and for a couple scenes, was played by a real great white. Before filming started in Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, a crew went to Australia to get some cage-diving close-ups with a great white.
Dreyfuss got to see the play himself and said he felt “hurt” by it. Richard Dreyfuss was one of the stars of Jaws who played marine biologist Matt Hooper. Vanity Fair reported the veteran actor watched a performance of “The Shark is Broken” unimpressed by what he saw of the alleged feud between him and Robert Shaw.
In it, as quoted by the New York Times, Benchley said flatly that, “'Jaws' was entirely a fiction.” That doesn't mean shark attacks are fiction, though! There were a number of shark attacks that plagued the Jersey Shore in 1916, as Benchley noted earlier.
Homage to Spielberg's Lawyer: The decision to name the shark "Bruce" was a tongue-in-cheek homage to Steven Spielberg's lawyer, Bruce Ramer. Spielberg, known for injecting humor and personal touches into his work, playfully named the menacing antagonist after his legal counsel.
